The Delaware ledger. (Newark, Del.) 1879-19??, 1887-07-09


h" thinks like Il man."
The younger replied:
Perhaps we ought to get our
cousin, the bishop to bless bullet
for Us. or get some priest Ia l,.o-
nouncc the necessary words.
They kept silent while.
Jean spoke again:
Look how rcd that sun is The
wolf is going to do some more mis-
chief tonight
He had scarcely spoken when his
horse reared: that ol his brother
Francois begun to plunge 4 great
bush. covered with dead leaves part
ed, and Il huge animal all gray -
lcapcd out and shot through the
woods.
Both men uttered something like
a growl of joy, and hcnding over
the nccks of their powerful holses,
hc flung them forward with one
immense effort of the whole body
shot them on with such vim--eX-
citing them with voice, gesture and
spur, that the strong riders actually
seemed to he lifting the weighty
stccds bctween their thighs, and fly
ing away with them.
On they went at full speed crash
ing through thickcts, crossing
ravincs. scalping Sleeps, laundering
down gorges, and blowing their horns
with all the force of their lungs to
call their dogs and their men.
And all Of Il sudden, during this
headlpng course, my ancestor struck
his head against an enormous branch
which literally cleft his skull. and
flung him dead on the ground.
while his terrified horse ran away
and disappeared in til" gathering
gloom of the woods.
The younger D'Arvillc at once
drew rein, lcapcd to the ground,
lifted his brother in his arms. and
saw that the brains were running
out of the great wound with the
I blood
Then he sat down besides the
corpse, rested the grey and dis
figured head upon his knees and
watched there, looking at the
brothers imnobilc face. Gradually
Il fear came upon him, II singular
fear that hc had never felt before
the fear of the darkness, the fear of
the dcsolate forest, the fear Of soli-
tudr, and also the fear olthat wcircd
wolf which had killed his brother
by way of avrnging himself ON both
The darkness thickcncd; the cold
made crncklings in the trcsS. Fran
co.'s rose up shuddcring, unable to
remain there any longer, feeling
himself ready to faint. Nothing
could be hcard-ncithcr the voices
of the dogs nor the sound of the
horns, everything to the invisible
horizon seemed dumb. and the
solemn silence of the icy evening
seemed full of something lriehtlul
strange.
He lifted in his giant arms the
great body Of Jean, placed it across
the saddle, mounted and rode on
slowly, feeling dizzy as if drunk,
haunted by all sorts of hidcous and
startling llncies.
And suddenly Il great form pass
cd across the larkcning pathway.
/ 1t was the wolf. \ shock of fear
tinglcd through the hunter; cold
ness; rs of Il trickling of water, dcs-
ccnded his back. and, like II monk
haunted by u devil, hc crossed him
self, startled by this unexpected reap
pcarancc of the lrightlul prowlcr
But rs his eyes fell ON the inert
/ corpse lying across the -lddle he
fore him, his fear suddenly changed
/ to anger; he shook with u hounllcs.
rage.
Then he spurrcd his horse and
rushed after the wolf.
lie pursued him through thick
cts and ravincs and hedges and
woods which he could no longer
recognize. keeping his eye ever fixed
upon the white shape flying through
the night before him.
His horse also seemed animated
by supernatural spirit and vigor.
lie galloped straight ON, With his
neck stretched out, knocking the
head and the feet of the dead man,
lying across the saddle, against the
trees as he passed Briars tore the
hair, the dead forehead spattcrcd
the enormous trunks with blood as
it battered against them the spurs
tore away the bark.
And suddenly horscman and
horse burst from the forest into Il
valley. Just as Il crimson moon